*Photo by New York Yankees Spring Training
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Major Renovations Planned for Steinbrenner Field
Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees Spring Training facility in Tampa, is set for a $40 million renovation. The plans include new outfield concourses, social gathering areas, increased shading, and more. The renovations will also bring improvements to the Yankees' minor legue field. The multi-million dollar project will be funded equally by the Yankees, the State of Florida and Hillsborough County.
The renovations should be complete by March of next year. The New York Times reports that "the state passed a hotel tax that goes to fund new or renovated facilities. Exhibition games draw a greater percentage of out-of-town visitors than regular-season games in major league cities." The Yankees will pay their portion of the construction through lease payments which will run through 2046.
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Tampa International Airport Receives Top Honors
Tampa International Airport is no stranger to acclaim. It was ranked the second best airport in the U.S. by Airports Council International in 2015 and ranks fifth in the world in customer satisfaction for airports serving 15 million to 25 million passengars. In 2014, it was recognized as the best airport at attracting new airlines and new destinations.
This year, according to feedback from 170,000 passengers (collected from Nov. 2015 – February 2016) Tampa scored best among large airports. The airport, on a scale of 1-7, had an average score of 6.5. Tampa residents may be in the premiere travel city in the country. The data was collected by AirportXP, created by Pheonix Marketing International.
Tampa Bids on Frozen Four
Fresh off hosting the 2016 Frozen Four, which saw North Dakota defeat Quinnipiac 5-1 in the finals at Amalie Arena, Tampa has put in a bid to host the event again in 2020, 2021 and 2022. The final game at Amalie hosted more than 19,000 fans. Banners reading "We Want You Back" were hung outside the stadium. The only year Tampa is inelligible is 2019 when the city will host the NCAA Women's Basketball Final Four.
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